Dame Judi Dench’s Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who are willing to follow her through her stories about the Shakespearean roles she played through her seventy year career. She breaks down each role, so not everyone will want to read it. But, those interested in an education in one actor’s interpretations will be rewarded, and the anecdotes are ones to remember.

The book started as a series of conversations with actor and director Brendan O’Hea. In O’Hea’s introduction, he says it was never meant to be a book. He intended to interview Judi Dench, and then offer the interviews to the archives department at Shakespeare’s Globe. But, when a friend of Dench’s grandson was intrigued enough to question all the laughter and passionate arguments, O’Hea thought it might be more than archival material. With the addition of charming drawings by Dench, the nonfiction book comes to life. Anyone who has seen Dench act can hear her voice on every page.

She shares the stories and background of every Shakespearean role she played from Lady Macbeth to Cleopatra. But, she also shares amusing stories from her years with her husband, Michael Williams, another Shakespearean actor. She refers to him as Mikey, and tells about him in a bar in New York City with another actor, bemoaning their performance when someone put hands on their shoulders, and said, give these actors a drink. It was Frank Sinatra. But, it never seems like name-dropping when Dame Judi Dench talks about Tony Hopkins or others. She was there, and the stories are part of her life and her career.

If you ever had problems with a play by Shakespeare, you’re in good company. Dench said she loathed The Merchant of Venice. And, there are other plays she isn’t fond of, and other roles. But, each one becomes special as she talks about it, and relates the stories. How about a snake in her wig as she took a bow? Or crawling off the stage when she hurt her ankle, and no one helped her?

I haven’t seen a great number of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve read a few more than I’ve seen. But, Judi Dench’s interpretations, along with O’Hea’s questions will encourage anyone interested to take a fresh look at the plays.

Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea. St. Martin’s Press, 2024. ISBN 9781250325778 (hardcover), 400p.


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